09-05-19 Kingsley: Mothers Day Stall

Thursday 9th May 2019

I vaguely remember the mother’s day stall at Coogee Public School 40 years ago (!!) when I was a student there: lots of small lavender-smelling soaps and powders, useless crap and garish trinkets I knew intuitively my own mum despised.

Well today – 40 years forward – Kingsley will have the same experience: being sent to school with money to spend on mummy for Mother’s Day. Daddy slips him $20 over breakfast, I am outraged at the amount, garnish a quarter of it then hand over that $5 to the Chinese owner of the village newsagent on our way to school.

By the time weve arrived its time for the kindy kids to get in their classroom lines awaiting their teachers. But Kingsley and I spot the Mother’s Day stall already set up on tressel tables groaning under the weight of heavily scented dust-collectors. I see the dreaded lavender soap and direct Kingsley’s attention to cute gnomes. I ask for a gnome. He can choose my second gift. We kiss goodbye, he holds my hand, won’t let go and asks we walk together down the stairs. Linus loves his mumma! Now that’s the best Mother’s Day gift ever.